Introduction

What is Ridu?

Ridu is an open-source, config-as-code backend framework for Go with a headless CMS and Svelte 5 admin built in. It includes authentication, access control, APIs, and background jobs. You define collections, fields, permissions, hooks, and plugins in Go. Ridu uses that configuration to build the database structure, API, TypeScript client, and admin forms.

The same permissions and validation apply whether a change comes from Go code, the API, or the admin. The admin is included in the Go server binary. You use JavaScript tools to build it; you do not need a JavaScript server in production.

Choose PostgreSQL for networked, multi-host deployments or SQLite for a local file on one host. MongoDB requires a transaction-capable replica set and has a narrower supported production profile. Uploads can use local storage or S3-compatible object storage.

Check Capability status for complete, limited, experimental, and planned behavior.

Define your content in Go

A collection describes documents of one kind, such as posts:

var Posts = ridu.Collection{
  Slug: "posts",
  Fields: field.Fields{
    field.Text("title").Required(),
    field.Select("status", "draft", "published").Default("draft"),
  },
}

Go checks that you use the right field methods and callback types. Ridu checks the full configuration for problems such as a relationship pointing to a collection that does not exist. Ridu for TypeScript developers explains packages, struct literals, slices, functions, nil, errors, and contexts through familiar TypeScript ideas.

Frontend developers consume the generated application module and can remain in TypeScript:

import { createClient } from '~/generated/ridu.generated';

const client = createClient({ baseURL: 'https://cms.example.com' });

const page = await client.list('posts', {
  where: { status: { equals: 'published' } },
  sort: ['-createdAt'],
  limit: 12
});

for (const post of page.docs) {
  console.log(post.title);
}

The generated module provides collection and field types through the Fetch SDK. Its methods return Promise<T> and throw structured RiduError failures.

Choose your path

I build TypeScript frontends

Read TypeScript SDK and Querying data first. You need Go only when you change the content model or server behavior; a frontend consuming an existing Ridu application stays in TypeScript.

I build the CMS

Follow the installation guide, then read Core concepts, Configuration, Fields, Access control, and Hooks. The Project structure guide separates files you edit from files Ridu generates for you.

I am evaluating another CMS

Start with Ridu, Payload, and PocketBase to compare config-as-code authoring and single-binary deployment. Use Move from Payload to plan a migration, or Ridu for PocketBase users for the code-defined and embedded-store trade-offs. Read Performance for optimization guidance and Measure performance for benchmark results and test conditions.

Current limits

See Capability status for available, limited, experimental, and planned features before choosing them for a project.

Create an application

Open the project wizard with your preferred launcher:

npm create ridu@latest my-app

bun create ridu@latest my-app

pnpm create ridu@latest my-app

yarn create ridu my-app

Choose Starter or Blank, a database, and optional agent guidance. Review the summary, then run the install and dev commands the initializer prints. Omit my-app if you prefer to name the directory inside the wizard, or use . to create the project in your current directory. Ridu warns before creating files there and stops if any project paths already exist.

Direct Go installation, organization-specific Go module/npm scope flags, non-interactive automation, and recovery are covered in Installation.

The CLI prints the local admin URL. On the first visit, create the initial admin account. Installation explains requirements, generated files, and database choices.